St Aidans Day Nursery

China tea sets, loose building materials and a garden pond give St Aidans Day Nursery a recognisable character: children have real objects to investigate and spaces that invite them to make their own play. Based in St Aidan’s Church hall in Wheatley Hills, Doncaster, it combines an emphasis on independence with practical arrangements for sleep, settling and moving between rooms.

The nursery has capacity for 94 children aged two months to five years. At its 31 January 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated it Good, judged safeguarding effective and found that children needing additional support were identified promptly, with parents, professionals and additional funding helping their learning. That is a dated judgement: the nursery began its Curiosity Approach journey, using real objects and adaptable environments to encourage exploration, in April 2024.

Morning, afternoon and full-day bookings give families different ways to use the nursery. The strongest reasons to consider it are more tangible than the attendance options: a designated baby sleep space, resources children can combine in their own ways, and outdoor access directly from preschool.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Room brings together sensory exploration and quieter spaces, with natural objects, dens and a reading corner giving babies different ways to investigate or rest. Toddler Room emphasises practical independence alongside construction, imaginative play and messy activities, with small toilets and child-height sinks making self-care accessible. Pre-School Room combines wooden planks and tyres for building, a home corner and a creative area children can use themselves, linking imaginative play with making choices and preparing for school.

These are environments with different purposes. Babies have places to explore materials through touch and sound; toddlers practise everyday tasks; older children can build, make and discuss ideas with their peers. Room moves take account of the individual child, with parents involved in decisions, rather than treating a birthday as the only consideration.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the educational framework: communication, movement, relationships, early reading, mathematics, understanding the world and creative expression are developed through the nursery day. Planning uses observations of children alongside their interests, development and information from parents. That gives everyday play a purpose while leaving room for children’s own ideas.

The Curiosity Approach adds a concrete choice of materials and surroundings. Fir cones, shells, boxes and reels are loose parts that children can move, combine and rearrange, rather than resources with a single intended use. Authentic objects include tea sets, mirrors, hats and handbags. For parents, the useful distinction is the opportunity to experiment with familiar objects in unfamiliar combinations, rather than the approach’s name alone.

Hygge, an emphasis on comfort and belonging, shapes the surroundings through soft colours, comfortable furniture, lights and snug spaces. Rest and exploration both have a place. The nursery’s Trash to Treasure scheme invites families to contribute suitable second-hand finds to its collections, connecting home involvement with the materials children use.

In January 2023, babies joined songs with movements and sounds, while traditional stories carried into toddlers’ outdoor play. Older children assembled vehicles from wooden pieces and wheels, and toddlers persisted with filling a container with oats. Those examples show the kinds of concentration, conversation and experimentation present at that time; they predate the later Curiosity Approach work.

Outdoor and Community Life

A covered outdoor section extends the usable play space across the year, and preschool children can move directly outside. Digging, construction and picnic spaces sit alongside a pond and areas for growing flowers and vegetables. Scooters, bikes, crates and tyres give children materials for active play as well as building.

The vegetable plot connects exploration with food growing. In January 2023, children were growing food in the nursery garden, providing a practical experience of nature alongside indoor activities. Outdoors therefore has several jobs here: movement, investigation, making things and quieter play. It is more than a space for running around.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person who leads the relationship with their family, while parents can also speak to other team members. This creates a clear point of contact without making communication depend on one practitioner being present. Parents contribute medical, dietary and other information through the Parent and Child Information Exchange Form and consent arrangements before full attendance begins.

Settling starts with planned sessions involving the child, family and room team. A parent stays for the initial session, which lasts about an hour; the next usually lasts about an hour too, with the parent encouraged to leave the child with staff. The sequence gives both child and parent time to become familiar with the people and routines involved, with further sessions possible before full attendance.

Changes within nursery receive their own preparation. Visits introduce the next room, and the existing key person passes information about achievements and individual needs to the new one before settling starts. A transition box travels with the child, carrying familiar belongings alongside learning and dietary information. Comfort is made practical, rather than left to chance.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A SENCO role sits within the team, with work alongside occupational therapists and speech and language therapists. Staff professional development is part of the nursery’s approach, and safeguarding training and checks for new recruits form part of its arrangements. These mechanisms matter because additional needs and everyday care require communication between adults as well as activities for children.

At the January 2023 inspection, Ofsted identified two areas for improvement: helping the youngest children establish handwashing habits before eating, and strengthening less experienced practitioners’ understanding of the curriculum and how to support learning. The overall Good judgement therefore sat alongside specific improvements needed in everyday care and teaching.

Sleep has dedicated provision. The baby sleep room contains cots and mats alongside other sleeping equipment, with a window and open connection to the main space supporting supervision. Toddlers have a resting area after lunch, with mats, blankets and music; familiar comforters can come from home. Children who still nap have spaces and equipment for rest during the nursery day.

School preparation includes self-care, social routines and sharing information with the next setting. Transition documents cover achievements, needs and development, and the nursery encourages school staff to visit and small groups of children to visit schools. These are arrangements for continuity of care and learning.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 10 Adlard Road, Wheatley Hills, Doncaster, DN2 5NH. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, across 51 weeks, with closures at Christmas and on bank holidays.

Bookings are for a morning session from 7.30am to 1pm, an afternoon session from 1pm to 6pm, or a full day from 7.30am to 6pm. Morning bookings include breakfast, a snack and lunch; afternoon bookings include a snack and tea. These distinct patterns let families choose a shorter attendance period as well as a whole day.

Payments are monthly and in advance. Four weeks’ written notice is required to alter a booking or cancel a place, so changes to working arrangements need some planning. Enquiries can be made through the contact form, by telephone on 01302 340 412 or by email at enquiries@staidansdaynursery.co.uk. Buggy storage and parking are provided.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered, including 15 or 30 hours for three- and four-year-olds and funded sessions from the term after a child reaches nine months. The nursery also describes 30-hour stretched funding. Eligibility and the attendance arrangement need to be kept separate: an entitlement does not itself specify which sessions a family will use.

Meals and drinks are included in private session fees. During funded sessions, they are charged separately, with packed meals from home offered as an alternative; resources also carry a charge for fully funded sessions. An in-house cook uses seasonal ingredients, with menus changing on a four-week cycle and provision for vegetarian diets, Halal requirements and lactose intolerance.

A non-refundable booking payment covers administration and four settling sessions. Additional settling sessions can be booked as half or full days and charged at the usual rates. Current prices should be obtained in the nursery’s written quotation, with the structure explained on its funding and fees page.

• Room allocation. Moves are discussed with parents and take individual needs into account. On a visit, ask which room your child would join and how its age grouping and daily routine would work for them.
• Settling arrangements. The booking payment covers four settling sessions, while additional sessions can be charged. Agree the sequence, parental involvement and any extra sessions before attendance begins.
• Funded-session costs. Meals, drinks and resources are charged during fully funded attendance, with packed meals offered as an alternative to nursery meals. Request a written quotation separating childcare, food and resources, including how stretched funding applies to your booking.
• Everyday practice. The January 2023 improvement points concerned the youngest children’s hygiene routines and support for less experienced staff. Ask how handwashing before meals and curriculum supervision now work in your child’s room.

St Aidans suits families seeking morning or afternoon sessions as well as full-day attendance, and parents who value play with real objects, practical independence and outdoor exploration. The baby sleep provision and preparation for room changes add useful substance to that offer.

The balance is straightforward: a Good judgement from January 2023, a later move towards the Curiosity Approach, and specific questions about everyday practice and funded-session costs. Its appeal lies in what children can do with their surroundings, supported by familiar adults and planned transitions.